The poetry is alive and well on Rah’s Rah’s new album “The Poet’s Dead”

By: Chiara DiAngelo  –

Hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan, Rah Rah is less youthful on their new album The Poet’s Dead, instead opting to display more of a maturity in their sound, as well as the lyrical content of these 10 songs. However, the band luckily still maintains some semblance of the exuberance that makes them so much fun to listen to.

This growth is immediately apparent on first song “Art and a Wife.” While there is still a playfulness to the instrumentation, the lyrics speak to the transition stage associated with growing up: “I used to want to make out, make out  with every girl / But now I just want a life, full of art and a wife.” The feeling of getting older is heard again in the lyrics of “20s:” ‘I spent my 20’s on rock and roll, I’ll spend my 30’s feeling old.” This track is a bit of a sonic explosion; with the fuzzier vocals, it feels like their version of heavier, almost punk rock. It’s likely the closest they’ll get to crossing over into that genre at least!

“Prairie Girl” exudes hometown pride for the countryside of the province. The bouncy, upbeat sound of this track reminds me of fellow Regina band Library Voices – meaning you’ll be sure to be bobbing your head along to it. Other highlights of the album include the just-barely audible female vocals shouting in the background of “First Kiss,” and the almost alt-country infusion on the hand-clapping title track “The Poet’s Dead.”

The album unfortunately falls flat towards the end. The intro to I’m A Killer” takes on an odd electronic sound to the keys that feel out of place within the rest of the album, and the normally breathy female vocals are stretched a little too thin. The pace picks back up on second-to-last song “Fake Our Love,” which has a bit of a cocky attitude to it as it depicts the rockstar’s approach to love.

With a handful of songs that will have you dancing, The Poet’s Dead is well worth a listen. It’s set to be released digitally on October 2 and physically on October 22 via Hidden Pony Records. They hit Toronto on September 18, playing Nu Music Nite at The Horseshoe!